Get Me Through
by smaragdbird
Summary: When the Avengers and Coulson's team go on a joint mission to take out a Hydra facility, Sam and Jemma end up being trapped. And Sam's not a fan of dark, small spaces.


"Could you do that?" Sam asked, watching the door while Jemma waited for the download to finish. "Give people superpowers?" They were in the basement lab of a Hydra facility. The whole mission was a joint effort between the Avengers and Coulson's main team. Sam was a bit hazy on the details but apparently Coulson had been killed by Loki, brought back by Fury and ultimately made director of Shield. Steve had taken the news with a stoic face that had told Sam he felt conflicting emotions about the whole deal.

"If you want to be subjected to a number of highly unethical, very painful and most likely deadly experiments, then I could try", she offered. Somehow her accent made it sound as if it wasn't that bad. "Perhaps Miss Maximoff can give you some insight in what it's like."

"Okay, okay, forget I asked", Sam replied when suddenly the building started shaking. "What – "

"Skye", Jemma said the same moment Steve yelled at him over the radio. "Sam, get out of there."

Jemma grabbed her flash drive as he grabbed her and made a run for the door. They were in the basement and by the looks of it there was no way they'd make it out in time. Still he had to try.

They made it to the doorway of the second room before the ceiling gave in. Sam pressed Jemma against the doorframe and tried to shield her with his body. Something heavy hit the back of his head and he felt his legs giving in before he lost consciousness.

When he came to it again the world was black and his head hurt like hell.

"Sam?" He heard Jemma ask but she sounded as if she was talking through a thick blanket.

"Are you okay?" It was his responsibility to protect her after all.

"I'm fine", she reassured him.

"Did Agent Triplett make it out?" Sam remembered that he had been stationed at the main entrance. Everyone else had been outside after Vision had confirmed that there were no people inside the facility as far as he could see.

"He did. The radio is still working, yours as well. Captain Rogers has been asking for you."

"Sam didn't need to be told that twice. Steve?"

He got an immediate answer. "Sam?!" The relief in Steve's voice was palpable. "Are you injured?"

"I'm okay." He didn't want Steve to worry about him more than he'd already do anyway.

"Agent Wilson has a head injury", Jemma said. "He needs medical care as soon as possible."

Sam could swear that he felt Steve's disapproval for his little white lie from the radio. "Tell Skye she owes me a drink."

"Will do", Steve replied. "We'll try to get you out of here as soon as possible."

"And how long's that going to be?" He dreaded the answer already.

"At least half a day, but Skye's asking around if any of her friends have useful superpowers."

"Great", Sam muttered. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Have I ever mentioned I'm not a fan of small, dark places?" The pain in his head had distracted him so far but he was starting to feel the familiar tightness settling in his chest.

"What do you need?" Steve asked immediately.

"You mean apart from getting out of here? Talk to me. I know you're busy with the rescue effort but – "

"No buts", Steve interrupted him firmly. "May sidelined me anyway. I may have a bit overreacted when I realised that you were still inside the building."

"Are you saying Captain America lost his shit because of me?" Sam teased him.

"Completely", Steve replied sincerely. "And hey, on the bright side we're not dead."

"Good to know you're hanging the bar that high", Sam replied dryly.

"No one's shooting at us either." He could hear the smile in Steve's voice.

"You have low standards, don't you?"

"My standards are actually pretty high. Why else would I have picked you? I mean Natasha tried to set me up with every single person she knew. Maybe she and Bucky should run a matchmaking service."

Sam did his best to concentrate on Steve's voice but all of a sudden it felt as if the walls were closing in on him and he couldn't breathe.

"Sam?" Steve asked when he didn't reply.

"Keep talking", he managed to tell him between gasping for air. In the darkness Jemma found his hand and held on tight.

"Muffins", Steve said suddenly. "I'll make you muffins once we get you out of there."

"The last time you made muffins I broke a tooth", Sam reminded him.

Next to him Jemma asked, "How do you break a tooth on a muffin?"

"That's what my dentist wanted to know. Couldn't wrap his head around it, poor guy." Sam almost smiled at the memory.

"Okay, fine, no muffins then. But hey, at least we all escaped Wanda's cooking for another week."

"You're right, this is much better", Sam drawled sarcastically. Wanda's cooking wasn't actually that bad, if one liked Sokovian or at least Eastern European cuisine. A list that included Wanda, Natasha and Thor when he was around. The rest of them either made a brave face or ordered something, although they tried not to do that too often because Wanda always looked a little crestfallen when they did.

"Hey Sam", Steve said. "Tell Simmons to make some noise. Vision's saying that maybe he could find you better with echolocation."

"Yeah, he just told her himself", Sam replied. She was pounding on a wall with her free hand and shouting as loudly as she could. It was distracting but it exaggerated his headache. "Please tell him to hurry up."

"I think he's found you, or at least he keeps hovering over the same area", Steve trailed off.

Sam was about to ask him what was happening when Jemma suddenly stopped shouting and hitting the wall. The same moment she squeezed his hand tightly, Steve said, "Sam? The cavalry's arrived." Those were the best damn news he had heard all day.


End file.
